John Muir Way Part Two. Ash Lagoons. Ash Mountain. Wildlife Reserve. Leith Docks. Turbine Platforms.

                                                 ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.

The second half of my Seaton Sands to Musselburgh walk along the John Muir Way was equally interesting. From a small park in Prestonpans I could see in the distance over the trees and across the Firth of Forth Leith docks current mega structure. The huge yellow turbine platforms, situated here during most of 2026. Assembled at the docks before being moved out to a new offshore wind farm.

When I came here over 20 years ago another mega structure was my prize back then. The Cockenzie Power Station was still in operation and three large ash lagoons occupied the space between Prestonpans and Musselburgh. It was a stunning site back then. Huge pipes carried the used spent waste of coal ash underground to here then dumped it into the ash lagoons. This is one of the pipe outlets into the largest lagoon and beside it on the left of the photo was ash mountain. Everything in sight was grey, just like the surface of the moon, stretching to the horizon. Not expecting this at all I was shocked and amazed. Nobody around to stop me so I immediately seized my chance and climbed ash mountain to the summit. A very special hill bagged. For obvious reasons it reminded me of the Lonely Mountain in the Hobbit, sleeping dragons within, and the wastes around Mordor and Mount Doom. ( which was based on JRR Tolkien's personal experience of the destroyed landscapes he witnessed fighting battles in the First World War. (and in Ukraine and Gaza today unfortunately... and now the new threat of wasted lands caused by human induced climate change, world water shortage, and the mass extinction of flora and fauna yet to come. Unless it is reversed quickly....but there will always be wars or other issues happening so I am not hopeful of that occurring. Nature can bounce back though- given a decent chance to recover.)

A zoomed view of Edinburgh's Royal Mile leading up to Edinburgh Castle with Portobello Beach ( Edinburgh's seaside town) and its two distinctive bottle kilns clearly visible. An ash mountain view. Even back then this area was destined to be a nature reserve ( according to info boards I looked at then) and over the next 20 years I watched it happening, gradually transforming from grey to green during my infrequent visits here.

This is one of the ash lagoons slowly being drained and covered over. Taken years later when the Cockenzie Power Station had stopped operating. So I felt really privileged to have seen this area and climbed ash mountain that one single time. Nothing else in Scotland like it... or in the UK maybe?

The edge of the dry ash lagoon being covered over by summer weeds taken around 10 years ago. Even 20 years ago with the ash lagoons in full swing they had purpose built nesting holes in the ash in certain areas for swifts, swallows, housemartins, etc... and loads of these birds using them. The irony being now that it is a fully established nature reserve, all these fast bird populations have crashed. Never seen a single one this time. I used to be out in my garden at night every summer with the sound of hunting swifts overhead and elsewhere in Glasgow you would always hear them soaring high above the city streets. That distinctive joyful scream. Not seen or heard any for the last 10 years though. Swallows are also thin on the ground in the Scottish city parks and meadows. Once a common sight here.

On a previous visit I did get good photos of  bird life from the handful of hides in this area so I thought I'd try again. Redshank and sandpiper here. Two older photographs from that time.

 Wagtail chasing flies and other small insects.

Finding the best hides was the hard part. Around a dozen of them scattered wide and not always easy to discover on a brief visit. The former ash lagoons in 2026, now drained and covered over with grass....

....but again it was worth it. The tide was high so most of the Firth of Forth estuary birds had moved to here for extra inland feeding and resting before flying back out for another low tide forage. Shelducks and Canada geese here.

A different hide nearer the coast. Looking across at a similar hide.

Male and female pheasants.

Two Shelducks. Long time favourites of mine. A large duck, goose sized with handsome colours.

Oystercatchers and Greylag Geese.

A different hide view.

Took this one as this is the JMW path but also the edge of the former largest ash lagoon, now covered in young trees. Ash mountain was presumably used to create the various islands and small mounds in this vicinity in a major reconstruction project after the power station closed. Lochore Meadows in Fife may have been similar 30 to 40 years ago but I never witnessed that place before transformation, only visited the after version.

And after that it was just a matter of walking the JMW to Musselburgh. River Esk and swans here. Then 26 bus back to Edinburgh. 

A closer view from the 26 bus window at Joppa of some of the off shore platforms gathered at Leith Docks. Edinburgh's latest mega-structure in 2026. 

Scott Monument on Princes Street. I always look for different photo opportunities and a different angle of view. Everyone has a camera or camera phone these days but it's still up to the individual to create interesting or unique shots in places where millions have already taken photographs. That's a challenge I enjoy... and good motivation.

Edinburgh on a summer evening. Fortunately everyone here is looking away so I took it. If anyone had been facing front I would not but I couldn't resist this as it sums up the unique beauty and appeal of Edinburgh. One of the great cities of the UK/world.

And I liked this as well. Might have been Harvey Nichols shop at a guess as it was between Princes Street and the bus station at St James. If it is H.N.this is the closest I will ever get to Harvey Nichols though as I get most of the things I require from charity shops these days. Princes Street and some of the surrounding streets have a lot of scaffolding work ongoing so that's what this sign is about and from past visits they do have eye-catching widow displays, month by month. Just a guess though as I took this photo back in the spring with the building obscured by metalwork. The End.

And one of Sigrid, a talented young Norwegian singer songwriter with many good videos already. Worth seeing. Catchy... as are the rest of her songs/videos. And an important message for young people, especially young woman, but some young men as well. Self worth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7lr7pU9fYA&list=RDE7lr7pU9fYA&start_radio=1